Nollywood in 2017 and Anticipations for 2018

2017 was a fair good year for Nollywood. Nollywood churned out films upon films each week. There were more films out there in the cinemas. We had the good ones like Isoken and the very depressing ones like Celebrity Marriage that left viewers and critics asking how did this one get a cinema release. When one compares the quality of movies we had in 2017 to movies such as 76, 93 days and Oloibiri of 2016, it may seem as though Nollywood took a step backwards but that is not so. In 2017, Nollywood experimented other genres, we had supernatural comedies like Banana Island Ghost and My Wife and I, not also forgetting the first Nollywood silent film, A Hotel Called Memory. The future looks bright for Nollywood in 2018. Here is a list of some of the movies that may be released this year:

Esohe

Getting over him

The Royal Hibiscus Hotel

The Eve

Makate must sell

New Money

Hello Rain

American King

Lion Heart

Golden Statue

Amina

Some of my anticipations for Nollywood in 2018 are:

I want to see better comedies: A crime comedy or An Action comedy, let’s have better Romcoms (I see The Royal Hibiscus Hotel doing that), enough with the slapstick comedy for now (we already know enough of how villagers behave when they come to big cities).

I also want to see a feature length animation film. Let’s do something new this year.

I also want to see a movie centred around the lives of youths and teenagers.

An epic film! I don’t think justice has been done to that genre. Ojukwu’s Amina is already fulfilling this dream but we want more. Nigeria is a multi-ethnic nation and there are so many stories that we create or retell from all this diversity.

And more whodunits. Walt Banger’s Catch.er already set the pace and please if it’s not going to be that good or better, they shouldn’t bother.

One thing that should stay in 2017 is repeating locations. In 2017, Jenifa’s Diary, Industreet, Excess Luggage, Dream House, and so many African Magic Original Films having one thing in common; the same location. They were all shot in Amen Estate, Lekki. And once more, no slapstick comedy in 2018.